Case Studies & White Papers

Order Photo ID Cards Online For a Fast, Low-Cost Solution

More and more professional cleaning companies are now requiring their staff to wear a photo ID card at all times. Well-managed cleaning companies recognize that this industry best practice is a low-cost, highly visible means of emphasizing their professionalism and distinguishing themselves from competitors.

Photo ID cards clearly identify the bearer’s name, qualifications, and the organization he or she represents. They reassure clients and alleviate any concerns about being in secure facilities after-hours. It’s the best and simplest way to avoid any delays with security guards. When there’s an emergency and police, EMTs or firefighters arrive, the photo ID card reassures them that the cleaning person is legitimate.

The cleaning industry is constantly seeking ways to increase the quality of the services it provides. Many large clients, like airports and warehouses, have long required clear and incontrovertible means of personnel identification. But today a wider range of customers are coming to expect a similar high grade of professionalism. The photo ID card is an easy, visible way to communicate your company’s training and standards while promoting its brand.

Professional photo ID cards have come a long way. It used to be that a laminator and an ink-jet printer were enough to produce an adequate ID card. But, taking the easy route today creates results that are clearly inferior to the plastic credit-card-format ID cards we’ve grown accustomed to seeing on TV and in the movies.

Laminated cards are easily copied—it’s worse to have cards that can be pirated than not have them at all—and wear out very quickly. In contrast, solid plastic cards are durable and fraud-resistant. Since the photo is embedded in the plastic, it’s almost impossible to alter the card without making a telltale mess.

A high-quality professional photo ID card immediately communicates “expertise” and “competence,” whereas an inferior card, or the lack of an ID badge altogether, does just the opposite. A plastic card also incorporates your logo and your color scheme. Every cleaning person wearing one becomes your brand ambassador.

Outsourcing Card Printing
Choosing to print your own plastic ID cards will entail an investment of several thousand dollars in hardware and software, plus training someone to run the machine. That’s no longer necessary, thanks to the Internet. Today, several outsourced photo ID card services offer even the smallest organization access to top-quality cards on demand. My firm, InstantCard, for example, guarantees same-day service for all ID card orders, even for one card ordered for a single new employee.

The benefits of outsourced ID card production multiply for cleaning companies with multiple offices, including franchises. The head office can completely avoid the hassle of receiving photos and data, producing cards, and sending them back out to the right location. Each location can order its own cards online and have them delivered directly, while ensuring that the same quality and graphics are utilized throughout the organization.

The cost savings from outsourcing can be substantial. Typically, companies can save 60 percent to 75 percent over the cost of producing cards in-house, without tying up capital.

Now that they are so easy to order online, there’s no reason not to require all employees to wear their photo ID card at all times. It’s one of those seemingly small items where taking the right strategy and then getting the details right can increase security, boost the brand, reassure customers, save staff time and produce significant savings.

David Finkelstein is president of InstantCard, a provider of photo ID cards online that has worked with many cleaning and building-maintenance organizations. He can be contacted at 301-216-3846 or dFinkelstein@Instantcard.net.